Dear Editor:
On the evening of April 2nd at 7:00 p.m. at the Parsippany High School auditorium, the Parsippany-Troy Hills Board of Adjustment will review the request by the Islamic Community Cultural Center to be granted a zoning variance so that a four-story 29-unit apartment complex and parking garage can be constructed on property adjacent to the already present mosque. Situated amid a residential neighborhood and surrounded by wetlands, the variance request, if granted by the Board of Adjustment, will threaten the essence of this vibrant, family-friendly, and wonderfully diverse neighborhood. It is important to note that, some years back, the neighborhood welcomed the introduction of the mosque. Still, the mosque’s plans to expand its footprint from being a house of worship to residential housing is simply a bridge too far. The Board of Adjustment must put the interests of Parsippany residents first and ahead of those of the mosque and the developers eager to begin construction.
Of perhaps equal importance to all Parsippany neighborhoods that house churches, temples, mosques, or synagogues is the precedent the Board of Adjustment will be setting if it grants the Islamic Community Cultural Center the residential building variance it is requesting. If granted, a dangerous precedent by the Board of Adjustment will be set to stop any one of these houses of worship from requesting permission to add residences to their locations regardless of the consequences of traffic, ecology, and quality of life.
It is way past time for Parsippany residents to take back responsibility for their neighborhoods. They can begin by attending the Board of Adjustment meeting on April 2nd to voice their concerns and stand with the Troy Hills Neighborhood Association. Though uniquely and wonderfully different, Parsippany neighborhoods have to come together now because when one neighborhood is threatened by unwanted development, all neighborhoods are threatened.
There is no question that development is necessary and should be welcomed in Parsippany. Parsippany is blessed with plenty of space that needs development, so there is no need for the Board of Adjustment to approve the variance request by the Islamic Community Cultural Center. There is also no need for the Board of Adjustment to set a precedent that could negatively impact many of Parsippany’s neighborhoods.
Anonymous. Name withheld upon request
